TECHNICAL

INTERPERSONAL

Camaraderie

Character

Communication

Leadership

Problem Solving

Self Confidence

Service

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Testimonial

"You have unlocked his potential and it is a wonder to me how a 12 day course can be such a bridge from adolescent into young adult. I thank you for all you have done and how you have lead our son along his path." – Parent Testimonial

Backpack, canoe and rock climb in and around the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area on this 12-day expedition.

This course is designed for middle schoolers who are looking to improve their leadership skills, are interested in challenging themselves and are open to discovering the lifelong benefits and perspective that only wilderness travel with Outward Bound can offer. Convenient course start location in Philadelphia.

UPCOMING COURSES

This course is closed for the season. 2019 courses coming soon.

Classic Courses

Are you ready to take a journey that will change your life? You won’t look at day-to-day drama the same way after you’ve conquered a high mountain ridge, made a boat obey your command in windswept waves or slept under the stars watching bats swoop overhead. Joining an Outward Bound expedition changes you. Your crew, your Instructor, your route and your adventures will have a profound and lasting impact on you as you rise to meet exhilarating natural challenges in some of the country’s wildest places.

Build skills, form connections: Learn and practice wilderness, teamwork and leadership skills. Find connections with your crewmates based on support and respect (and fun too!), and in the thick of challenges, discover there is more in you than you know.

Value strengths and strengthen values: Uncover your unique character strengths, develop your leadership abilities and learn how to let compassion in to everyday life by pushing your own limits and working alongside your peers.

Demonstrate mastery: As you gain confidence in new skills, take on more decision-making responsibilities. Work together to achieve team goals, solve problems and succeed both as individuals and as a group.

What you’ll learn: For Middle School students, heading away from home means taking on new responsibilities and expectations with crewmates who are strangers when you first meet and trusted teammates by the end of your expedition. It’s all about confidence.

After you come home, many of the character, leadership and service traits you uncovered on your expedition stay with you, helping you navigate your daily life with more resilience and success.

Photo courtesy
of Ben Goodman

Photo courtesy
of Michael DePrima

Photo courtesy
of Ben Goodman

Photo courtesy
of Kenja Griffin

Photo courtesy
of Michael DePrima

Backpacking

As you hike along the Appalachian Trail with your expedition crew, you’ll learn how to work together and discover the commitment and effort it takes to truly work as a team. You will travel with all the food and equipment you need to conduct your expedition such as shelters, stoves, maps, emergency equipment and much more. You and your fellow crew members will learn basic outdoor skills like Leave-No-Trace ethics, outdoor living and backcountry travel in order to successfully live, work, eat and discover together. This process will not only hone your communication, problem-solving and leadership skills, but also take you on a journey unlike anything you’ve ever imagined.

Photo courtesy
of Ryan Harris

Photo courtesy
of Kenja Griffin

Photo courtesy
of Michael DePrima

Photo courtesy
of Ryan Harris

Photo courtesy
of Ryan Harris

Canoeing

Be prepared to canoe in the Delaware Water Gap where each section of the river has its own personality. If you want secluded, wide water with lots of wildlife, the stretch that flows through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area from Matamoras to Kittatinny Point offers it all. In addition to learning valuable paddling techniques in a tandem canoe, you and your fellow crew members will learn basic outdoor skills like Leave-No-Trace ethics, outdoor living and backcountry travel in order to successfully live and play together. This process will hone your communication, problem-solving and leadership skills. During the expedition, you will learn to use technical equipment, tie knots, paddle and camp, all while Instructors provide expert supervision.

Photo courtesy
of Ben Goodman

Photo courtesy
of Ben Goodman

Photo courtesy
of Michael DePrima

Rock Climbing

One portion of the expedition includes the opportunity to develop rock climbing experience guided by Outward Bound experts. Students will learn skills to tie knots and be exposed to climbing fundamentals. They will learn safety, climbing and belay techniques and have opportunities to use climbing equipment. Students do not need prior climbing or backpacking experience for this course. Outward Bound Instructors are climbing specialists and will teach students the skills necessary to be successful on this incredible adventure.

Service

Service to others and to the environment are core values of Outward Bound and they are integrated into each course. Participants follow Leave No Trace ethics as part of their service to the environment. Students develop an ingrained appreciation of service, seeing the impact of their actions firsthand, by multiple small acts of service with and for their crewmates while leading and supporting each other throughout the journey.

Solo

Outward Bound believes in order for profound learning to take place, there must be time to reflect on the experience. Within a course, solo is that opportunity. It is a chance to experience solitude in the wilderness without distraction while also taking a break from the physical rigors of activities. Students are separated from their group for a period of time that time can range from an hour to 48 hours, depending on the course length and Instructor assessment of the group’s capability. Solo sites chosen by Instructors to provide as much solitude as possible (within emergency whistle-signaling distance of other group members). Participants have all necessary equipment, food and water during their Solo time, with safety being a top priority.

Outcomes

On our multi-element courses, participants have the opportunity to become proficient in backpacking, adventure climbing and canoeing skills. Alongside familiarity and proficiency with outdoor exploration, students will develop a deeper level of self-discovery and the ability to hone their leadership skills. On this longer course, participants gain an understanding of the value of teamwork and learn what it takes to be a compassionate leader while having fun and building strong relationships with their teammates.

Course Area

Delaware Water Gap

The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area encompasses 67,000 acres of mountain ridge, forest and floodplain on both sides of the Delaware River in the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. From the southern end of the park, you can view the S-shaped chasm of the Delaware Water Gap, where the river cuts a twisting path through 1,400-foot Kittatinny Ridge. Within the river watershed, travelers discover steep wooded-and-rock slopes, bountiful rhododendron, dark hallows, tinsel-like ravines and tumbling waterfalls.

SAMPLE ITINERARY

*A short solo experience may occur during the expedition.

DAY 1

Course start

DAY 2-4

Backpacking along the Appalachian Trail in the Delaware Water Gap

DAY 5

Rock climbing

DAY 6

Resupply & transport to the river to begin canoeing

DAY 7-11

Canoeing on the Delaware River in the Delaware Water Gap

DAY 12

Transport back to Philadelphia for graduation and BBQ celebration

Getting Started

If you are ready to enroll on a course click the enroll button next to the course you wish to select or you can enroll over the phone by speaking with one of our Admissions Advisors (toll-free) at 866-467-7651.

To secure your spot on a course you must submit an enrollment form and $500 deposit that is applied toward the total cost of the course and includes a $150 non-refundable enrollment processing fee.